According to The Hollywood Reporter, Pierre Spengler, one of the original producers of Superman, is returning to comic-book adaptations with a 12-picture slate drawn from titles in the catalog of French graphic novel publisher Humanoides Associes.

The first to go into production will be the live-action film I Am Legion, adapted from the World War II political intrigue penned by Fabien Nury and illustrated by top U.S. graphic artist John Cassaday.

Set in 1942, “Legion” tells of a diabolical attempt by the Nazis to develop a new weapon through controlling people’s minds. Cassaday will follow in the footsteps of fellow graphic artists such as Frank Miller (“Sin City”) and Enki Bilal (“Immortal”) and make the transition to director for the movie adaptation. Nury has written the screenplay. Budgeted at about $15 million depending on cast, the film is due to shoot early next year in Croatia. Spengler will produce along with former Humanoides president Fabrice Giger.

Other titles in the initial film lineup include an adaptation of the “Meta-barons” series penned by Alexandro Jodorowsky; “The Horde,” a future-set fantasy about a Russian dictator who models himself on Genghis Khan; Mexican wrestling story “Lucha Libre”; the vampire love story “Fragile”; and an animation adaptation of the series “The Zombie That Ate the World.”